Church of Saint Bartholomew, Late Baroque Catholic church on Míru Square in Heřmanův Městec, Czech Republic
The Church of Saint Bartholomew is a late Baroque church on the eastern side of Míru Square in Heřmanův Městec. Its sandstone portal, carved with the Špork coat of arms, faces the square, and the west facade is divided by pilasters. The building is 43.45 m long and 13.82 m wide, with a tower almost 42 m high. A niche in the gable holds a statue of Saint Bartholomew flanked by three angels representing faith, hope and love.
A Gothic church dedicated to Saint Bartholomew stood here from the town's founding years and was first mentioned in 1349 by Prague Archbishop Arnošt of Pardubice. It was later rebuilt in Renaissance style, then damaged by fire in 1740. Count Jan Václav Špork commissioned local master builder František Tomáš Jedlička to rebuild it, and the late Baroque church with Rococo decorative elements was constructed between 1756 and 1761.
The church is dedicated to Saint Bartholomew, whose legend is painted on the barrel vault by František Xaver Palko. The gilded pulpit and altar are carvings by the Pacák brothers. A copy of the statue of Saint Anthony of Padua stands by the south facade, and a World War I memorial is set against the church wall.
The church sits in an easily accessible location within the town center that you can reach from different directions around the square. As an active place of worship, your visit timing may depend on service schedules and religious observances.
Under the church are three crypts. The largest, beneath the main altar, holds the remains of the estate's owners; another holds the priests of Heřmanův Městec, and the third the family of builder František Tomáš Jedlička, who rebuilt the church in 1756–1761.
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